Is Onkyo hts3300 good for music?

[selvha]

Planing to buy Onkyo hts3300. I am okay with the price, however not sure whether they are good for music(mp3/wav). It has a passive subwoofer, is it really a drawback? can hts3300 deliver audiophilic sound quality when it comes to music? Need your advise friends

 

[laghusikarwar]

heven't really audiotioned 3300 but from what i've heard they are good for music as well ut better for movies! hope those people who have bought it help you here! CHeers!

 

[selvha]

I have another question guys. Is it possible to hook this HTIB up with my PC(running XP professional)? I mean can I play the contents(audio and video files)stored in the hard drive through this unit? My computer has 9600GT graphics card(has DVI port). Currently I am using 22" inch LCD display. I do not have soundcard in it but the MOBO can support 5.1 audio. Mine is a small room so I want to use my computer for watching movies instead of a regular TV.
Do I need a sound card to get lossless audio? Pls advise.

 

[partymonger]

Get a cheap external soundcard from deal extreme, and output optical out from the soundcard.
Or get a graphics card with hdmi and that supports bitstreaming audio.

 

[Santy]

It looks like the receiver cannot accept dvi input. But you can always connect your pc to tv directly using dvi ports. If you wish you can get one dvi to hdmi cable or adapter from ebay to connect the pc to tv via the receiver. Reg. Hd audio out of motherboard, i doubt it would support unless specified. check the chipset model (is it intel) and google its specifications to know if it supports hd audio. I doubt it does... you may need a sound card supporting hd audio.

 

[EthenHunt]

AFAIK, DVI cannot carry audio signals. So there is no point in getting a DVI->HDMI cable. Alternate options would be to get a Sound card that has Optical out or a Graphics card with HDMI out for bit streaming.

 

[laghusikarwar]

I have another question guys. Is it possible to hook this HTIB up with my PC(running XP professional)? I mean can I play the contents(audio and video files)stored in the hard drive through this unit? My computer has 9600GT graphics card(has DVI port). Currently I am using 22" inch LCD display. I do not have soundcard in it but the MOBO can support 5.1 audio. Mine is a small room so I want to use my computer for watching movies instead of a regular TV.
Do I need a sound card to get lossless audio? Pls advise.

audio card is an option. but from where i see it(tht you want a hasselfree and cheap solution)...the system willl have a audio out on the mother board..you can put it into the 3300 in the place which is provided to connect MP3 players..it is the simplest possible way

 

[Santy]

AFAIK, DVI cannot carry audio signals. So there is no point in getting a DVI->HDMI cable. Alternate options would be to get a Sound card that has Optical out or a Graphics card with HDMI out for bit streaming.

DVI is only for video. Here, we are talking about talking sound and video separately I suppose. Have a look at these DVI to HDMI (bidirectional cables) ONE TWO

 

[vinsks]

@selvha

as you first question:
-is hts3300 is good for music with audiophilic sound quality. answer is you cant get awesome music quality from it. hts3300 is good option for movies within this budget. but if your prime requirement is music then i would suggest to go for stereo setup.

your second question about connecting your PC to HTIB:
-for playing vedio files with 5.1 sound(DD & DTS etc) you require soundcard with digital output(optical/ coaxial) some motherboard do have builtin digital port for sound out. with that you can connect your PC with HTIB via digital cable(optical/ coaxial)

 

[NetFreak]

shelva,

I auditioned it before buying my setup.

1. It is a good system for normal music listening. Of course not audiophile quality, but good enough to play average MP3. Carry few MP3s ina pen drive and have an audition to decide for yourself.
2. Instead of using your PC to play music, buy a media player. This media player will access files on PC via LAN and play it over HDMI. HDMI output will go to HTIB. Cost would be 6k onwards. Another benefit you would get is remote control.

 

[sameer]

yes, mine is 10 days old and i m enjoying it

 

[wlg]

Hi
My Onkyo 3300 ok for movies but a letdown for music even my 25yr Sansui amp sounds better, unable to use my turntable to listen to vinyl LP and the stylus (mc) output too low needs a moving coil transformer or pre amp
Tks

 

[snorkel4u]

So does this mean, it doesn't perform well for Music?

 

[varthurravi]

Bought 3300 last week. Haven't watched too many movies so far, but heard a lot of audio CD (Hindi, Kannada film songs), DVD-Audio, and FM. From my experience so far, I can say music sound quality is pretty decent/good for the speakers it comes bundled with. I will consider replacing the front speakers with the better speakers sometime in future, but for now they are okay for me for my audio CDs (that's my take).

Having said that, I must say I basically bought this system for music, not movies. If you are not a big fan of watching movies on DVDs/BDs, then you may consider other 2.1 systems rather than this one since this is basically designed for movies. If you still want to get this one, then you may want to try replace the front speakers for better music.

 

[snorkel4u]

Hi Ravi. assuming you're in bangalore, how much did you get this system for? I am reading mixed reviews when it comes to 3300 for Audio. I did listen it at one dealer, but wasn't completely satisfied. I think I will have smoe more demos before I am satisfied. May be a few owners as well.

Hopefully, you'll use this system someday for movies and give it a few more stars

Congrats on your purchase, enjoy!

 

[Vijay_s]

This amp have a speaker B option which is stereo output. I connected my Wharfadale 9.1 and found music in almost similar quality of Norge 1000.

 

[varthurravi]

Bought 3300 + Philips BDP 2700 as a bundle for 30K in Bangalore. I didn't press for lowering the price with the dealer that hard. I am sure I could have got it down a bit had I negotiated a bit harder.

Anyway, u may check out 3305 + Philips BDP 7500 for 30K from E-zone. BDP 2700 is a base model, while 7500 is a high-end model. And 3305 and 3300 are almost the same, except for Audssey and other minor differences. Actually E-zone was ready to further lower the price if I was interested.

 

[snorkel4u]

I will check up the differences between 3300 and 3305. I have just purchased a Media Player and I am not the disc collector. Rather keep everything on hard Drives so I will give the BDP a miss.

 

[ontherocks]

Actually E-zone was ready to further lower the price if I was interested.

I am wondering what could possibly have been the conversation between you and the sales guy.

Sales guy: Sir would you like to bargain with me about the price. I can then reduce it further if you like.

varthurravi: No....I am good.

Sales guy: All right then.....

 

[Vijay_s]

My personal experience using Onkyo HTS 3300 for music

With onkyo speaker I would rate music quality 40%

I connected wharfadale 9.1 + SW150 subwoofer to speaker B of receiver and find its better than the stock speaker - still music quality is 60%

Recently bought PSB Image B6 and connected it with same Speaker B of onkyo 3300, i will rate the music quality as 55% (5% less due to lack of bass)

The reference line (music quality 100%) for me is quality of music from these speakers when connected to same source material through Norge 1000 Amplifier.

Overall my recommendation is to use onkyo 3300 only for movies if you are a serious listener of music.